Welcome message

We would like to invite you, on behalf of the organizers of The 5th International Conference on Birth Defects and Disabilities in the Developing World, to be held in Lodz, Poland on 24th - 27th of September, 2011.

The Conference is being organized under the sponsorship of the March of Dimes Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA, National Institutes of Health, USA, World Health Organization, Medical University of Lodz and the Lodz Voivodship.

The primary theme of the conference will be economics of healthcare and methods for establishing sustainable financial resources to implement programs of value to health and assure access to care. The venue of this conference was selected for a specific reason. The countries of Eastern Europe experienced economic difficulties during the times of their communist regimes, once liberated managed to reorganize their economies and establish sound functioning economic and public health systems. We believe that these countries offer examples applicable in or adaptable to the developing countries.

Additionally the conference will address the following relevant themes.

• Integration of services into national primary health programs for care of neonates and children with birth defects and disabilities.
• Monitoring risk factors for major defects globally.
• Preconception care.
• Worldwide country-by-country data on preterm birth and prematurity.
• Development of networks and partnerships for most efficient utilization of the limited resources.
• Innovative approaches for financing programs by fundraising from non governmental sources, such as individual donors, foundations, and corporate philanthropies.
• Clinical trials in support of drug development

Besides the scientific program, you will have a chance to visit the dynamically developing city of Łódź with its multi cultural and scientific heritage.

We hope that the 5th International Conference on Birth Defects will be fruitful for you and that you will enjoy your short stay in our city.

Prof. Maria Respondek-Liberska Chair, Steering Commmittee President of the Polish Association for the Promotion of Fetal Cardiology University of Łódź 281/289 Rzgowska str. 93-345 Łódź, Poland e-mail: majkares@uni.lodz.pl

Prof. Michael Katz Secretary, Steering Committee Senior Vice-President for Research and Global Programs March of Dimes Foundation 1275 Mamaroneck Avenue White Plains, NY 1065, USA e-mail: mkatz@marchofdimes.com